The need for infection preventionists has never been greater, but 13 months into the COVID-19 pandemic, long-term care providers still remain in the dark as to who will fit the federal government’s final criteria.
A new report on contact tracing in rural Illinois illustrates how a single community gathering can lead directly to infections in a skilled nursing facility, and the challenges associated with reopening to public events.
The new CDC number reflects adults aged 65 years and older who have received at least one vaccine dose. One state takes the top spot nationwide, with nearly 90% of first shots completed in this age group.
Virtual infection prevention and control assessments reached four times as many skilled nursing facilities as onsite visits in the same timeframe, according to a study in 92 SNFs early in the pandemic.
Hospitalizations are down for the U.S. population overall, and older Americans account for an increasingly smaller proportion of admissions, according to the latest weekly data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
YouTube videos detail the VAERS reporting system for CNAs and other facility providers, plus the agency’s smartphone-enabled post-vaccination health checker, or v-safe, which can be used by residents and their families.
Five residents of a skilled nursing facility tested positive twice for SARS-CoV-2 in separate outbreaks three months apart, before vaccines were available. The disease course was more severe in the second illness, and one resident died.
Fully vaccinated individuals may now skip quarantine after exposure to an infected person. But that doesn’t go for healthcare workers in facility settings — except as a last option.
The agency has suggested exceptions to its official vaccine rules for cases when supply shortages interrupt second doses.
Almost all nursing homes in the federal Pharmacy Partnership for Long-Term Care program have scheduled the first of two COVID-19 vaccination clinics, and 88% had completed the first clinic as of Jan. 21.
